USA > Ohio > Putnam County > History of Putnam County, Ohio : its peoples, industries, and institutions > Part 70
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Benjamin Edelbrock remained under the parental roof until the time of his marriage. When a boy he attended the district schools, near his. home, and during spare times was educated in the work about the farm home. He chose as his bride Miss Elnora Kracht, daughter of Frank and. Theresa Kracht, with whom he was united in marriage on June 23, 1903.
Frank Kracht, present county commissioner of Putnam county, was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 25, 1851, and six years later was brought by his parents to this county, where they located on a farm near Glandorf. He married Theresa Hoffman, born in Glandorf, on January 6, 1859, and to their union was born a family of five daughters, namely : Amelia, born on August 22, 1878; Theresa J., born on March 18, 1880; Laura A., born on November 8, 1881 ; Elnora, born on April 24, 1883, and Caroline, born on January 27, 1886. The mother of this family died on August 29, 1886, and Mr. Kracht later united in marriage with Anna Neidert, who bore him six children. Her death occurred on June 12, 1901, and he was again married, this time to Catherine Pund. Mr. Kracht was for many years a farmer and thresherman and in this way formed a wide
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acquaintance. Being a man of pleasing manner, when he entered the polit- ical arena, his success was an assured thing from the start. He has been a contractor, has served as clerk of Ottawa township and also as its treasurer, and is at present filling out his term as county commissioner.
Of Mrs. Edelbrock's sisters, Amelia married Louis Welde and resides in Ottawa. She is the mother of four children, one being dead. Laura married Anthony Prusendorfer and is now widowed. She makes her home in Defiance, this state, where also Caroline, who has never married, resides. Theresa married Henry Fembert and lives in Pleasant township, Putnam .county.
After marriage, Benjamin Edelbrock and his wife took up their resi- ·dence on the farm where they now live. This contains forty acres, given to him by his father at the time of his marriage, to which he has added another twenty. The land has since been well cleared and drained. All the buildings have been erected by him and are in good condition. Mr. Edel- brock conducts general farming and also raises a few head of cattle each year for the market. Into the home have come four children, namely: Velma, born on March 16, 1904; Clarence, born on April 10, 1905; Ray- mond, born on 'July 19, 1906, and Mabel, born on February 21, 1912. Mr. Edelbrock is a most agreeable man to meet and is able to number his friends by the score. He is a Democrat in politics and his religious affiliation is with St. John's at Glandorf. He is an active and ambitious young man, with the natural industry of his family.
BARNEY GERDEMAN.
A member of one of the oldest and best-known families in Putnam county, Barney Gerdeman, a prosperous and progressive farmer of Union township, this county, enjoys the esteem of all who know him and very properly is accorded a place as among the leading citizens of the part of the county in which he was born and where his whole life has been spent. His wife, also, is a member of one of the old families of the county, and the two are very popular in their large circle of acquaintances.
Barney Gerdeman was born in Union township, Putnam county, Ohio. May II, 1873, the son of Henry and Bernadina (Eickholt) Gerdeman, both natives of Putnam county, the former of whom was born on February 19, 1842, the son of Caspar and Anna Gerdeman, natives of Germany, the latter
MR. AND MRS. BARNEY GERDEMAN.
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RESIDENCE AND BARN OF BARNEY GERDEMAN.
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of whom was born on May 15, 1846, the daughter of Barney and Elizabeth (Nieman) Eickholt, also natives of Germany.
Caspar Gerdeman and his wife, Anna, came to America from Germany and located in Putnam county, Ohio, at an early day in the settlement of the county. Here they cleared a farm, and on this farm reared their fam- ily and spent the remainder of their lives. They were the parents of seven children, Caspar, Joseph, Henry, Mathias, Theodore, Mary and Elizabeth. Of these, Theodore served in the Civil War as a member of an Ohio regi- ment, was captured by the enemy and died in a military prison. Caspar and Anna Gerdeman were prominent and influential members of the community in which they lived and were active in all the good works of that neighbor- hood. Their bodies are lying at rest in the Grandview cemetery.
Barney Eickholt and his wife, Elizabeth, who was a Nieman, also im- migrated from Germany, coming to Putnam county at an early date and settled on a farm near the town of Glandorf, where they made a prominent place for themselves in the estimation of their neighbors and where they spent the rest of their lives, their bodies lying at rest in the Glandorf ceme- tery. They were the parents of six children, Joseph, Martha, Henry, Will- iam, Charles and Bernardina, the latter of whom was the mother of Ber- nard Gerdeman.
Henry Gerdeman grew to manhood on the paternal farm near Glan- dorf, receiving his education in the village school. He was united in mar- riage to Bernardina Eickholt on May 5, 1868, and made his home on a farm of one hundred and ten acres, which he bought in Union township. He cleared this farm and improved it in excellent shape, erecting thereon a good class of buildings and bringing it to a high state of cultivation, becoming known as one of the most prosperous farmers in that neighborhood. Dur- ing late years, Henry Gerdeman has been retired from the active work of the farm, though still living on the old home place, which is now the home of his son, Henry. His wife died in March, 1915.
To Henry and Bernardina (Eickholdt) Gerdeman were born twelve children, as follow: Charles married Anna Busch and lives in Union town- ship; Andrew, who married Ida Daling and is now deceased; Katherine, who married Henry Hamberg and lives in Jackson township, this county; Barney, the subject of this sketch; John, who married Mary Lang and lives at Delphos, Ohio; William, who married Mary Schroeder and lives in Greensburg township, this county; Elizabeth, who married Henry Verhoff, and lives near Columbus Grove; Amelia, who married William Morman and
46
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lives near Leipsic, this county; Josephine, who is unmarried; Bernadina, who married Joseph Morman and lives in Greensburg township; Henry, who married Emma Merschman and lives on the old home farm, and Mathias, who married Emily Schumacher and lives in Union township.
Barney Gerdeman was reared on the old home farm in Union township and attended the neighborhood school in his youth, making a good account of the time spent in the school room. He assisted his father on the farm, remaining there until his marriage in 1898, when he moved upon a farm of ninety acres in Union township, that had previously been purchased by him, where he has lived ever since. This farm he has improved in fine shape, his buildings being substantial and of a modern type, the place presenting a general air of prosperity which marks its owner as a progressive and up-to- date farmer.
On October 19, 1898, Barney Gerdeman was united in marriage to Anna Brinkman, daughter of Barney and Bernardina (Wehrie) Brinkman, both of whom were born in the Glandorf neighborhood, in this county, their parents having been among the numerous German immigrants who colon- ized in that part of the county at an early day. For some years after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Brinkman lived in Greensburg township, and later moved to a farm in Jackson township, where Mrs. Brinkman is still living, Mr. Brinkman's death having occurred on March 28, 1914. Barney Brink- man was one of the best known men in the county. He had served the public faithfully and well in the capacity of county commissioner, and was deeply interested in local public affairs. He also had served his township as a public officer in various capacities and had always been attentive to the needs of the community. His chief activities were confined to the farm, however, and he had prospered in his labors. To Barney and Bernardina (Wehrie) Brinkman were born thirteen children-Joseph, Anna, Bernadina, Mary, Amelia, Andrew, Frank, Elizabeth, Josephine, Matilda, Elnora, Caroline and Loretta, of whom all are living save Bernadina, Elizabeth and Josephine. The Brinkman family were members of the St. Michael's Catholic church at Kalida, and took an active part in the affairs of that parish.
Mr. and Mrs. Gerdeman belong to St. Michael's Catholic church at Kalida, and are active participants in the various beneficences of that parish. They are popular and well liked in the community in which they live, and are regarded as among the leaders in the social and civic life of that section of the county. They have no children. Mr. Gerdeman is not only a good farmer, but is recognized generally as an excellent business man and a man of fine executive ability. He is a director of the Peoples Bank at Kalida,
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a director in the fire insurance company at the same place, and has served as a member of the county fair association, in all of which service he has ex- hibited executive qualities which have gained him the highest confidence of his business associates. Mr. Gerdeman is a Democrat, and takes a good deal of interest in the county's political affairs. He has served as supervisor of public roads in his home township; he has held various other township offices during the past fifteen years, and in other ways has shown his high interest in public affairs.
JOHN T. MATHENY.
If asked to present a list of occupations which, because of their very nature, interest and inspire, few there are who would include farming, or if they did, this vocation would not head the list. Here and there, however, are men who, by their attitude toward their work, make of the meanest task a pleasure, and thereby dignify both the doer and the thing they do.
Were you to travel through Putnam county, Ohio, one of the farms which would immediately attract your admiration is that of J. T. Matheny. From the freshly-painted fence and well-kept lawn, in front of the house, to the neatly-stacked woodpile in the rear, there is evidence not only of thrift, but of intelligent personality back of it. And there is, for the owner loves his work.
John T. Matheny was born in Kalida, Putnam county, Ohio, on March 7, 1868. He was the son of Samuel and Adelia ( Rogers) Matheny. Samuel Matheny figured prominently in the politics of his county, having acceptably filled a number of township offices under Republican administrations. He came from Virginia to Delaware county, Ohio, where he worked on a farm until the discovery of gold in California fired his ambition, and, in the year of 1849, he, like many others, went to seek his fortune in the West He traveled by way of the Isthmus of Panama. For four years, he met with success, as a miner, but finally, home called louder than fortune, and he dropped his pick to follow the plow back in the county he had left. The return journey also was made by way of Panama. Soon after his return to Ohio, he married Adelia Rogers, removed to Kalida, Ohio, and became interested in buying and shipping stock, and farming. He bought and de- veloped a large tract of land near Kalida. He was a faithful member of the Methodist church. After the death of Samuel Matheny, which took place on the farm, his widow continued to live there with her son and daughter-in- law, Mr. and Mrs. John T. Matheny, until her death.
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John T. Matheny had three sisters and one brother. They were Eva, Clara, Emma and Howard. Of these, Clara married H. M. Summers, a real estate dealer living in Ottawa, and they have five children; Emma married a hardware merchant, named Basil Sparling, and they live in Monroe, Mich- igan, and they have three children. Going back another generation, we find that Mr. Matheny's grandparents on the father's side were born and died in Virginia, and that their children were James, William, Robert, Samuel and Jane. The children of the maternal grandparents were John, Howard, Marion, Mary, Sinah, Emma and Adelia.
John T. Matheny's school days were interspersed with wholesome farm work, yet it seems he did not allow his tasks to crush him ambition. He at- tended school in Kalida, and when still a young man, married Nettie Varner, on December 10, 1902, daughter of W. J. and Annie Varner. Mr. Matheny's wife also came from a substantial old family of pioneers whose ambition brought them from Virginia early enough to travel on horseback, for there was no other mode of transportation. The grandfather on the paternal side took advantage of conditions by trading with the Indians who lived within the vicinity of the settlement.
W. J. Varner, father of Mrs. Matheny, is mentioned elsewhere in this volume. He was born in Greensburg township, Putnam county, in 1848, and married Annie Simon, of that township, whose parents, also, were early set- tlers and prominent in the county. That Mr. Varner was public-spirited is shown from the fact that he was treasurer of the township, and for ten years was a member of the county board of agriculture.
For six years after his marriage, Mr. Matheny gave all of his attention to farming. He then moved to the old W. J. Varner homestead in Greens- burg township, Putnam county, where he still resides. This is a splendid farm of one hundred acres. The children born to John T. Matheny and wife are: Nelson Varner, born on September 8, 1903; Howard Samuel, born on . September 4, 1909; John Wilson, born on November 18, 1912. The two elder boys are attending school.
John T. Matheny has been unusually successful in raising Jersey cattle and Duroc hogs, but, not content with present efforts, he is preparing to make extensive improvements on his property. Like his father, he is a Republican, and has held public office, having served on the county council and as corpora- tion clerk while living in Kalida. Everybody knows the Mathenys, and everybody likes them. As members of the Methodist church they have many friends, and are among those whom we call the leaders in the community in which they live. Mr. Matheny is a Free and Accepted Mason. He has
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always kept in close touch with public affairs. So genial and wholesome are John T. Matheny and wife that their home is a social center. It has never been bound by narrow interests. In all of his activities, Mr. Matheny is assisted by his able and charming wife.
ROBERT WILFORD DOWNING.
Robert Wilford Downing was born on October 6, 1870, in Sugar Creek township, Putnam county, Ohio, on the old Downing homestead. He is the son of Robert and Rachel (Hooper) Downing, the former of whom was born three miles east of Canton, in Stark county, Ohio, June 15, 1821, and who died on November 21, 1874, at the age of fifty-three years. He was the son of Adam and Sarah (McLothen) Downing, who were natives of Pennsyl- vania, and who settled first in Stark county, Ohio. They came to Allen county in 1837, where they entered a section of land near Rockport. Here they spent the remainder of their lives. Robert Downing, the father of Robert Wilford, grew up on this Allen county farm. He came to Putnam county in 1863, and located in Sugar Creek township, where he bought two hundred and forty acres of land. He followed general farming until his death. He received his early education in Stark county, leaving that county at the age of sixteen. He was married in Allen county, September 3, 1857, to Rachel Hooper, who was born on October 10, 1833, in Franklin county, Ohio. She was the daughter of Philip and Rachel (Stevenson) Hooper, the former of whom was a native of Scotland and who came to America, settling first in Virginia. Later, he moved to Franklin county, Ohio. He served in the Indian War. He was married in Maryland to Rachel Stevenson, whose mother was a native of Germany and who first settled in Maryland and later moved to Franklin county, Ohio. Philip Hooper lived in Franklin county, Ohio, for several years, when he migrated to Putnam county in 1839, settling about two miles south of Columbus Grove in what is now Allen county. Here he spent the remainder of his life. Philip and Rachel Hooper had thir- teen children, all of whom are now deceased except Philip, Jr., a brother of Robert Wilford Downing's mother. Mrs. Rachel Downing was next to the youngest child. She died on September 21, 1907. Robert and Rachel Down- ing had three children, Albert, born on April 17, 1860, and died on No- vember 7, 1897; John M., born on June 15, 1862, and died on July 6, 1902, and Robert Wilford, the subject of this sketch.
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Robert Wilford Downing was born on the old homestead farm of his father, where he now resides. Here he spent his childhood and youth and here he grew to manhood. He attended the district schools and since leaving school has followed farming. When nearly thirty years of age, Mr. Down- ing was married on September 23, 1900, to Anna E. Shusser, the daughter of William and Nancy (Garner) Shusser. Mrs. Downing was born on September 27, 1870, in Sugar Creek township, Putnam county. After his marriage, Mr. Downing continued farming on the old home place. His farm of one hundred and sixty acres joins the town of Vaughnsville on the north- west and is on the Kalida road. His residence commands a fine view of Sugar creek and the surrounding country. Mr. Downing has remodeled his residence, which is the house where he was born, is built on generous lines and bespeaks the comfort and culture of its occupants. Mr. Downing built a large and commodious barn in 1912, and from time to time has added other buildings as occasion demanded. He now has one of the most completely- equipped farms in Putnam county. Mr. Downing is a good judge of live stock and raises thoroughbred Shorthorn cattle.
Robert Downing, the father of Robert W., was a member of the radical wing of the United Brtehren church. He was township treasurer for two terms and was a stanch and active supporter of the Republican party. Mr. Wowning's great-grandfather on his maternal side, John Stevenson, whose father was a native of Germany, was a native of Maryland and a slave- holder. He never left the state of Maryland and was known as "Granddad John." Both great-grandparents on the Hooper and Stevenson sides of Mr. Downing's family were Revolutionary soldiers, and added much to the credit of their family by valiance and bravery. Both were slaveholders. Philip Hooper, the grandfather of Mr. Downing, died on the old Hooper home- stead south of Columbus Grove, about 1844. His wife, the grandmother of Mr. Downing, lived to be ninety-three years of age and died in Columbus Grove about 1887.
Mrs. Downing's father, William Slusser, answered the call for volun- teers in the War of 1861 and enlisted in the One Hundred and Eighteenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He served for three years, when he was mustered out of service.
Mrs. Downing is a member of the Christian church. Mr. Downing is a member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge No. 711, at Vaughnsville. He is a Republican in politics and has been trustee of Sugar Creek township for three terms. In addition to other activities, he was nominated by his party during the last election, for county commissioner.
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JOSEPH WEBSTER NEILL.
Joseph Webster Neill, one of the best-known agriculturists of Greens- burg township, Putnam county, Ohio, is a native born son of this county, having first seen the light of day on his father's farm on November 16, 1859. He is a son of Seth W. and Mary A. (Shank) Neill, the former born in Hagerstown, Maryland, and the latter a native of this county. Seth W. was a son of John and Anna (Crow) Neill, who, in their youth, were among the earlier settlers of this county. They became acquainted during the early pioneer days and were married, locating on a farm in section II of Greens- burg township, where they passed through the experiences common to pio- neers in a new country. They were the parents of seven children, namely : Webster, J. T., Martin, William A., Susan, Samantha and Elizabeth. John Neill died on March 27, 1863, at the age of fifty-eight years. His wife had preceded him into the Great Beyond by a few days only, her death having occurred on March 8, 1863, when in the forty-ninth year of her age. Seth W. Neill secured such education as the schools of that time afforded, being, however, rather limited in their scope, but he received from his careful father the best training in the art of successful husbandry. He remained with his father for a time after his marriage, on April 19, 1857, to Mary A. Shank, a daughter of Jonas and Fanny Shank. They were among the early settlers of this county, having come here from their native home in Maryland. Their children were Susan, Elizabeth, Saphronica, Mary, Joseph, Samuel, Christian, John and Jonas. After a few months spent in his parental home, Seth W. Neill took his bride to the eighty-acre farm, which he had secured in section II of Greensburg township, where he made his home for the balance of his life. It was there the children of the family were born and reared. Beside Joseph Webster Neill, who was the second child of the family in order of birth, there were: John Allison, born on March 1, 1858; Samuel Morton, born on December 28, 1861, and died on September 23 of the following year, while still a small child and while the father of the family was at the front during the Civil War. Seth Edwin, born on January 25, 1864; Saphronica Ann, born on May 28, 1866; Mary Emma, born on December i, 1868, the latter now deceased; Cora Edith, born on March I, 1871, and Jonas Sheldon, an infant, who died at birth, was born on January 16, 1874; William Orlan, born on April 21, 1875, and Oscar Delos, the youngest of the family, born on May 17, 1878.
On August II, 1862, when a young man of twenty-six years, and with a wife and three small children, Seth W. Neill so strongly felt the call of his
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country in her time of need, that he laid aside his personal interests and donned a suit of blue as a private in Company I, Ninety-ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He entered service under Captain Hawkey and scarcely more than a month after his enlistment, on September 21 following, he was sent to the United States military hospital at Covington, Kentucky, where he remained for over a month. On October 29 he was ordered home for a rest and entered the service again within a short time. However, he had become so disabled, physically, owing to the illness contracted in the service, that he was found to be unfit for duty and was sent home. He was honorably discharged and later pensioned. He spent the balance of his life on his farm, and there passed away on September 8, 1899. His widow sur- . vived for a number of years, her life on earth ending on November 18, 1914. Both Seth W. Neill and wife were faithful members of the Christian church, and in the tenets of that faith they reared their family.
When a lad Joseph Webster Neill attended the district schools near his home and assisted his father during vacation periods. After leaving school, he farmed by renting fields, for a few years before marriage. On December 31, 1884, he was united in marriage with Mary E. Timmons, a native of this county and a daughter of Joshua and Catherine Timmons. Joseph Neill and his bride took up their residence in section II, of Greensburg township, on a farm adjoining that formerly occupied by his father, where they have con- tinued to since make their home. This farm consists of one hundred and fifty-five acres and is in every respect well kept. The residence and all build- ings are in a good state of repair, and everything about the place is neat and orderly, bespeaking the well-regulated mind and business ability. of its owner.
Joshua Timmons, father of Joseph Neill's wife, was born in Piqua county, this state, and his wife was a native of Pennsylvania. They met and were married in this county and after marriage settled on a farm in Perry township. To them was born a family of twelve children, as follow : Alice, John, Daniel, Samuel, Peter, Mary, Helena, Lucy, Louisa, Laura, Emma and Nancy.
Joseph Webster and Mary E. (Timmons) Neill are the parents of four children, Louis Alfred, born on December 8, 1885; Lottie Alice, born on March 23, 1889; Robert Homer, born on June 16, 1891, and Ora Joseph, born on January 18, 1894. Lottie Alice is the wife of Leonard McEldery, a farmer of Pleasant township, this county, and is the mother of one child, Margaret Marie; Robert Homer attended the township schools when a boy, and later, securing a higher education, taught school for three terms, when he took a course in the business college at Ottawa and later studied at the agricultural college at Ada; Ora Joseph, the youngest of the family, remains
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